Release Date: April 14, 2005
 Office of Mayor Edward D. Garza: 207-7083

San Antonio reaches agreement with Major League Soccer for future MLS team in the Alamodome

Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber today issued the following statement regarding the proposed agreement between the League and the City of San Antonio for an MLS team that could begin play in the Alamodome as early as the 2006 regular season.

"Led by Mayor Ed Garza, the City of San Antonio has aggressively pursued bringing a Major League Soccer team to the market,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated. “As one of the country’s fastest-growing and most diverse cities, MLS is convinced that San Antonio is an ideal home for a Major League Soccer club. We are currently in discussions with several potential ownership groups for the San Antonio MLS team and we will work closely with Mayor Garza and the soccer community in San Antonio to assist with the goal of bringing Major League Soccer to San Antonio in 2006.”

Under terms of the agreement, MLS would grant the City of San Antonio an MLS club beginning in 2006 provided the following elements are in place:

(a) an ownership group is secured;

(b) 5,000 season tickets are sold by August 17, 2005; (10% down payment)

(c) plans are finalized for the construction of a state-of-the-art soccer training fields.

City Council will vote today on a resolution supporting a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of San Antonio and Major League Soccer for the potential relocation or expansion of a MLS team to San Antonio in 2006. The vote is scheduled on today’s agenda between 2 and 3 p.m. with the Mayor being available to the media right after the vote.

The agreement also contains a detailed Alamodome plan in which the City of San Antonio has agreed to provide an MLS team with a facility appropriate for the sport, granting the club 20 dates per year in the Alamodome with the rights to all ticket sales, certain sponsorship and stadium signage sales, stadium concessions/merchandise and parking.

Although MLS teams in other markets are pursuing stadium facilities specifically designed for soccer, MLS and San Antonio have agreed on the multi-purpose Alamodome. The Alamodome is widely known for its expertise in producing mega sports events for San Antonio. The facility also has a proven track record with soccer, having been the site of four international soccer matches in the last year including the June 2004 Mexico vs. Dominica World Cup qualifying match, which hosted more than 37,000 fans. The installation of the new state-of-the-art Sportfield Turf System in 2004 enabled the facility to present a high quality field environment perfectly suited to professional soccer making the Alamodome the premier indoor soccer stadium in North America.

“This is great news for the Alamodome and sports fans in San Antonio. Major League Soccer is a family-oriented product that is very affordable,” stated Mayor Garza. “By bringing a major sports tenant to the Alamodome the city will realize an increase in net revenues to the city”.

About Major League Soccer:

Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and features many stars from the U.S. and around the world. The 12 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes, 2004 MLS Cup Champion D.C. United and the two newest expansion teams, Real Salt Lake and Club Deportivo Chivas USA. For more information about MLS, log on to the League’s official Web site at www.MLSnet.com or contact Simon Borg at 212-450-1243.